Just another adventure
by QueenBossBitch
Summary: Of all the places to run into each other, trapped in the Paris catacombs is a strange place for Carla and Liam Connor. Both divorced and rather broken from how they parted before her wedding to Tony, they are stuck with each other once again.
1. In medias res

Prologue:

"Over here, over here!" The man bellowed as loud as he could.

"Keep your trap shut, you, could cause an avalanche!" the stout woman who reeked of perform shouted back.

"It's a cave thingy… not a mountain." Carla said as she moved closer to where the man was.

He was young, with a rather large beer belly and his shirt was much too tight.

"I think he's hurt."

She made her way towards him with her iphone flashlight, cursing the idiot tour guide who said this was a great way to spend a rainy day and cursing herself for being stupid enough to enter into the catacombs.

She passed a skull on the make shift shelf in the wall and eyed it as if to say don't you dare.

"It's him, this guy...oh wait he's moving now." The beer-bellied man said.

"Yes well, I were only not moving because this one fell on me!" The man snapped in an all too familiar nasal voice.

"Still mate, I think you're bleeding."

The man moaned a bit and then sucked in a breath, she could hear his pain.

"It's okay," she said, assuming her ears were just playing out an old obsession rather than identifying correctly.

"Where are you hurt?" She asked, bending towards the man, being the old one who seemed sane or over 21 in the crowd - the latter fact one she did not enjoy - she removed her beautiful silk scarf and hoped to help.

"Me arm, but it's fine…" He trailed off with a yelp as she grabbed it. He was indeed bleeding.

"Carla?" The man said, half shock, half hope.

"No flaming way." She muttered, seeing Liam in front of her.


	2. Where it started, after it finished

Two months earlier:

"One more time, one more time and you will truly be…" as per usual her threats were empty, so she trailed off and slammed the door.

The factory was busier than ever with the new order and yet her staff simply refused to buckle down. She wasn't the best in terms of work ethic either - whether the job was dull and could wait, but right now it was make or break for the lot of them and she once again had trouble truly cracking the whip.

She sat in her chair so hard it started to slowly sink downward. Farther and farther down, she thought, how fitting.

Her mobile rang, she was about to ignore it when she saw it was Michelle.

"Hello?!"

"Always nice to talk to you too!" Michelle's all-too-cheery sarcasm wasn't what she needed.

"Ugh."

"Mature," Michelle said with a laugh. "How about this, I ditch Steve tonight and me and you hit the town proper...like we used to."

"We never really used to Chelly," Carla said. "You hated me for so long, then you didn't but had a bairn, then ya did, then didn't and then we got old and drank at my flat with Netflix or some posh wine bar like smart humans do."

"Okay so maybe "the town" can mean somewhere cozy and quiet,..." Michelle took a breath and Carla knew exactly what was coming.

"It's been forever since you and Tony split."

"I don't call less than a year foreverrrrrr." She let the word hang comically and Michelle scoffed.

"It bloody is when you are our age, and…. "

"I love ya Chelly, I really do but sometimes you make me wanna…. how about this, how about I just promise to go out with you tomorrow. Today I have the nastiest headache and the most work to do since i work with USELESS PEOPLE." she yelled the last bit as loud as she could so a few of them outside would be startled and offended, it helped a wee bit.

"Fine, but just let me know okay. I know the binman was a bit boring and the you really dodged a bullet with that last one...and don't pretend I don't see Peter sniffing 'round ya, it's just."

"Oh aye, okay,. not the best of luck, trust me love I really needn't be reminded!"

"Wine date tomorrow. No excuses. Bye!"

"T'ra, you teenage dictator."

As she hung up the phone she had her entire year come to mind - every regrettable moment.

Shortly after her wedding to Tony, one where Liam and Maria were clearly absent, she'd gone on a long honeymoon. Spain, France and Italy for a short time. Tony showered her with affection and baubles and she ate it all up, pretending that this was as good as life could get. It was a bit silly, but mixed with just the right amount of alcohol, she could almost convince herself some days.

Liam and Maria hadn't survived the turmoil of the past few months, she knew he'd come clean to her about his feelings and she knew from how Michelle has seemed to hate her for a good four months after, that the secret wasn't exactly a secret anymore. It was this silly, rather ridiculous fact that was just under the surface enough for most of those involved for them to pretend perhaps it had never happened.

She had stayed married to Tony for nearly seven months, enough time to feel she could maybe make a go of it. But he became increasingly impatient in starting a family - a family she never wanted and family she assumed was his attempt at owning her in a way no other man could. She could get behind jealousy, even mood swings - sure as eggs, those were the men who fancied her after all, but she could not get behind the gnawing feeling that someone was trying to possess her.

There was a moment in time when he became very concerned about her drinking after finding her at sloshed beyond measure and flirting with Peter Barlow and Nick Tilsley. His usual jealousy had given way to genuine concern for a moment - for his future with a "healthy" wife perhaps as much as for her actual health. She never doubted his genuine affection and moments like this had helped, but she was terrified of him at the same time.

In one of her drunken stupors she called Michelle saying that if she became one of the many women whose life was to be cut short by domestic violence, she would not a proper funeral and she'd want someone to kill him, kindly. Michelle was reasonably startled and had rushed over with Steve and Lloyd to find her drunk on her terrace and Tony reading a book in bed.

Understandably they also grew concerned, and while her Betty Draper pretend all is well drinking and smoke was not suiting her, she hoped it would make her ugly enough for him to leave her. She craved nothing other than to be alone now.

But it was Tony, he never met a problem he didn't want to solve, or control. He never lost and would die trying to win over everything he desired, including their "happiness."

In the end it wasn't all that difficult to lose him. She became a bit of a pantomime version of a lazy wife: rarely any sex, too much drinking and always crying. She was half putting on a show and half owning the most basic feelings she'd ever had but never showed. He was crumbling under the weight of yet another mentally unstable wife and she relished the moments he could barely look at her. It meant she was winning in albeit the most manipulative and cowardly way - or genius, she was undecided.

To his credit, it took a while, but ultimately (with a doctor's help) he decided to walk away, broken at a loss but unable to help her or himself.

This was the very dull and anticlimactic way in which her love life had just about ended. She learned she could miss people more than a concept and at the very least, she was proud of that.

Spinning a bit in her chair, annoyed at a horribly busy and yet boring day she began trying to land crumpled bits of paper into the rubbish bin. There were lots on her desk, spoiled faxes left in the machine from Sally Webster who seemed to forget most things worked by email now.

"Swoosh!" She said, using some basketball lingo she'd picked up in L.A. a few months back.

The paper balls landed in the bin, well four out of five.

"Not bad," an all too familiar voice said from the doorway.

"Well, I try." She refused to seem startled but her feared her face gave her away when she looked up to see Liam standing there.


	3. Rewind

"What you doin' 'ere?" She said, trying to keep her eyes averted. She then decided that looked more telling than anything else and finally met his gaze.

His blue eyes were steady, almost calm with a hint of something else she couldn't quite figure out. Perhaps fear, as hers likely showed.

"Oh you know, thought I'd stop buy and borrow a cuppa sugar."

She glared at him sideways.

"I was in the south...of the states."

"The states," she cut in. "How American to call it that."

"Well it is what they call it."

"I know, I've spent a lot of time there myself lately."

"Always sunny L.A. for you."

"Mostly, a good friend, not far from amazing wine and yes...the sun, which this place could use more of."

"Was in Georgia… housesitting actually - a free way to stay - and someone actually came by to borrow a cup of sugar. Can you imagine that, almost like where mam and da live."

"No sugar here I'm afraid," she said. It was the perfect phrase, really.

"So why were you down there?"

"Little Henry wanted to go to Disney and so we went."

"Well I am shocked Maria let you -"

"She was there n'all, I was allowed to spoil him for the week if I also paid for her and her new boyfriend to stay nearby at some resort."

"Tactical, I like her more each passing year."

"Yeah, she's not quite on that train for you but she's… it's okay I guess."

"Good, I'm glad for the sake of Henry it's all working out with you two. He's lovely."

"He is, spit of her when he has a tantrum but dare say he's got a bit of his old man in there too."

"The eyes," she said, their eyes meeting for much too long a moment. "And the mouth, the wee pout when he's bored."

"Ha, well easily bored, that one… like you."

"You want a coffee or summat?"

"No, I'm alright. Ta."

He paced around the office.

"It won't do."

"What?"

"Pretending we're bessie mates or strangers. It's neither right now and yet ...no."

"Liam I…"

"Is there a chance you're happy to see me?" He asked. "Can I at least get that much?"

"Of course I am."

"Good, one down."

"One what?" She asked.

"One worry." He said with a slight exhale. "Next is… tell me, can we just… can we cut the crap. I heard you and Tony were done… and you know me and Maria are…"

She shook her head and rubbed her eyes. She hadn't the strength to deal with this today. She looked and noticed for Liam, he was rather tan. Of course that was still quite pale but she knew he had clearly been somewhere sunny. She could ask why he was in Georgia after disney, she could try and make this as civil as possible but he'd see past any deflections now.

"I married him, I did it cos….well I did love him but I also was giving you a life you and your son needed….it's done. You pissed that away too."

"I did no such thing, I tried so hard to make it work with Maria, you can guess that much. Was even halfway happy during the pregnancy….though once he;'d come along it would be gold. We'd be a family and maybe I could bare the thought of you and …."

She kept her eyes on him, his nervous hands running through his slightly shaggy hair.

"But it was all in vain ya see, you playing the role of martyr… it didn't work out for anyone."

"It worked out for us, your family loves you and I…."

She paused, there really wasn't a bonus for her as she wished there to be.

"You are not happy."

"Oh no one is Liam, it's life."

"That's bullshit."

"Read the news, it's all bad and circling the drain.. Let things lie."

"Michelle said you have… had… are you drinking?"

"Oh aye, but not nearly as much as I wish...like right now!" She raised her eyebrow incredulously and leaned back in her chair. "Is that why you're back? You worried?"

"No, don't be silly, I'm far too daft to think I could help….I am back because there are no more barriers and life still makes no sense without you."

She wanted to cry and scream at the same time but settled for clearing her throat and getting up from her chair.

The last few years had been rough and in many ways he was right. They had all come to nothing; idiocy and self sacrifice with no pay out.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"Home, Liam." She walked towards the door and tossed him the keys. "Seems I'll be away on business tomorrow...you can lock up and pass the keys to your sister. Tell her our evening will be postponed."

As soon as she stepped outside it was as if the sky opened, massive amounts of hails fell, bouncing on the pavement and threatening to hurt - albeit in a minor way. Still, point taken, universe, she thought. You can rub it in.

She never was the one to run away, she was the one to threaten to break Paul's espresso machine if he walked out - which he always did. And he always came home to a functioning coffee maker. But today was different, she was weak, tired and had suffered more than she thought she could bear without becoming a shell of herself. She could not give in so fast if at all. She had to just finally be the one to leg it.

Liam stood, factory keys in hand, watching her storm off like someone had hit rewind and it was 2008. Only now everything felt stagnant and he wanted nothing more than to move forward.

TBC.


	4. Literal tourist trap

You've been gone two months. where are you now? Chelle asked.

I was in London…. now I am flying off to Paris, we actually can say this one is really going to help the factory so you won't be too mad at me

No? you don't think? even though you LIED about why you fucked off to London?"

"I didn't fuck off to London," Carla said. "I went to London and it's only a few hours away so you needn't get your panties in a twist."

"What about Liam?"

"What about Bob?"

"Carla…"

"I never did like that flick, what about bob, wasn't that the one with…"

"CARLA!"

"Take it you didn't fancy it either then."

"You do my head in, you do."

"As for Liam…"

"No." Michelle cut in. "What I was trying to say was "what about Liam?" meaning is he there?"

"I beg your...no….where. here? No."

"Only he said he was tending to some business and is being very cryptic once again in his emails ...I mean I know he is okay but I don't believe him when he says his in Birmingham."

"He hates Birmingham ever since that match in '96."

"Oh bloody hell, THAT." Michelle laughed. "Ah well. yeah but I suppose business is business."

"And yet none of mine...talk later Michelle."

"Oh aye." Michelle hung up rather defeated.

She'd only been in Paris a little while and had truly secured some good business and better idea for designs - designs based on pieces she'd actually wear unlike her own factory made pieces. Hypocritical as that was, she didn't care. Despite feeling incredibly unsexy from a wave of depression that would not lift, she purchased a few pieces and modelled them for herself in her hotel room the other night.

It wasn't as if anyone would see them. She went through a mental rolodex of the men that followed Liam - true, there were not nearly as many as people made it sound but also true was the quality or how they were all lacking. She felt a spark one or two times and tried to ignore the memories of hurt that flooded right away.

It was a quiet afternoon and there was rain. She'd covered all the ground she'd care to cover. Had a croissant and americano, bought a new silk scarf and sent out the morning's work-related emails. Convincing herself she needed to stay in Paris longer was becoming tricky but she was adamant on not going back until she knew how to face Liam without crumbling or God forbid, giving in.

Sitting at yet another cafe, watching the rain drop off the canopy, she smiled as the barista sat down with her.

"You look sad."

"Oh….sad enough to seem like I want to be hit on by a man-child...what are you, 22?"

"24." He said, smiling. "And I am not hitting on you….I am a gentleman, I'd wait for the signs." He smirked.

"No signs, I am shallow and want to look younger than the men I'm with, sorry."

"Are you French?" He asked. "You sure act it."

"Sorry."

"Funny you think that means apologize."

"It does."

"True… but we don't need to be the most friendly, rather be honest."

"Says a man from the land where each has five mistresses."

"What I was going to say is that instead of thinking of whatever man you are thinking of and staring at the rain...you should do something. Go somewhere. Make love to a much younger man.."

"MUCH?" she baulked.

"My English is not good…."

"Oh aye, it seemed fine when you weren't calling me old." She smiled.

He got up and went to make her a cappuccino, on the house..

"Is there anything besides the galleries and covered alleys that is fun to do?" She asked, after failing to focus on the book she'd just downloaded.

"The catacombs...a tourist trap but a fun one."

"Dead things aren't my style."

"But it's fascinating." He said. "The history, the secrets… the crazy things that happen down there now."

"Like teenage orgies?" She joked.

"Sometimes." He laughed.

"Well, seeing as it's a weekday, maybe there will be less of those...I may go...have never been really. First time I was here was with my sister..ex sister in law and she was too bloody terrified."

"You should go!" He said.

"I will," with that she got up, swung her bag over her shoulder and headed for the door.

"Madam...oiselle." He changed his mind mid-word, opting to make her sound more young.

"You should come back here after and tell me how you liked it…"

"Should I?" She laughed, exiting.

"The first group just has to get through the initial few corridors and then we can do in," a cheery American tour guide said.

Carla felt like a lonely idiot, all on her own and beside the most touristy of tourist - all fleeing from the rain and opting to stare at the remains of people who maybe had it worse than them.

She was trying to be polite but also not seem too interested. In an art gallery she'd feel cultured and at peace but she was now doubting her decision to wander through the catacombs with a bunch of strangers.

After ten minutes of waiting and pretending to be absorbed in something on her phone, they were let in.

The catacombs were exactly how they looked on google images but with a bit more in the way of …. foreboding. Skulls, candelabra and stones older than Liz's spiky necklace.

Much to her surprise the deeper they went under the beautiful city, the more like a kid she started to feel. It was like when she played adventure games with her brothers as a child; Indiana Jane and all that. She pictured fun and mystery with just the right amount of trepidation Ignoring the rather perky tour guide trying too hard to be spooky and ignoring the fashion of the other tour participants she was actually enjoying herself.

Rather annoyingly the group in front had some sort of trouble, someone with a panic attack - all too common in such spaces - was refused to move and there was somewhat of a bottle neck happening. She hated to admit but the "traffic" in the tunnel was making her all too aware of how confining it all was and how rather morbid too. She started to fan herself absently with her pamphlet and crane her neck to see over a few people when she heard something click. In an instant she pushed to the floor, covered in dust and her ears were buzzing.

TBC.


End file.
